Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Bf 109 G-6 of III./JG 26 Villacoublay

This nice photo was previously published in Jean-Bernard Frappé's " La Luftwaffe face au débarquement " a 350-page French-language account of the Luftwaffe in Normandy and southern France during the summer of 1944, subtitled 'Messerschmitt 109 G and Focke Wulf 190 A au combat en Normandie et en Provence'. Unfortunately in the book this particular image is printed right across a page bind so much of it is lost. It shows Bf 109 G-6s of III./JG 26 taxiing and taking off from Villacoublay-Nord probably during June 1944. According to Frappé the aircraft are 'Blue 10' and 'Blue 18' from 12. Staffel. Note the III. Gruppe vertical bar aft of the Balkenkreuz. Jean-Yves Lorant owns the original negative although the photo is credited in Frappé to Genth via Caldwell.